Shooting Stones Close Highway Again, 2000 Vehicles Stranded

(MENAFN - Kashmir Observer) SRINAGAR —Srinagar-Jammu highway, only surface link connecting Kashmir with rest of the world, was closed on Friday afternoon, several hours after it was reopened for stranded traffic following clearance landslide mass in Ramban district.

Around 2500 Kashmir-bound vehicles were stranded at several places on the thoroughfare following landslides and shooting stones at Anokhifall and Monkey Morh in the district on Wednesday night.

Authorities on Thursday morning started a road clearance operation and the traffic was restored partially for one-way traffic on Friday morning.

Around 500 stranded vehicles including around 300 heavy motor vehicles and 200 light motor vehicles were cleared before fresh shooting stones, which continue intermittently since then, rendered the highway unsafe for the movement of traffic at 1330 hours.

Around 2000 vehicles are still stranded from Monkey Morh to Nashri, they said.

A senior traffic official said that the stranded traffic which includes trucks carrying essential supply to Valley will be allowed to proceed towards Srinagar when the highway is fit for allowing the traffic.

He said that efforts underway to clear the road near Monkey Mode.

A traffic department official said that keeping in view intermittent landslide and shooting stones at Monkey Morh, only stranded vehicles between Ramban-Banihal stretch shall be allowed towards Srinagar, subject to fair weather and road condition tomorrow. 'No fresh vehicle shall be allowed from Jammu/Udhampur towards Srinagar,' he said.